


Detour

by kanjiklubgottold



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Finnrey Friday, animal illness, talk of animal abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 10:02:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7753324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanjiklubgottold/pseuds/kanjiklubgottold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just your typical boy-meets-kitten, boy-and-kitten-meet-girl love story.  Featuring vet!Leia, Kitty!BB-8, and Finnrey all the way around.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Detour

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Disneybrony](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Disneybrony/gifts).



> Based somewhat on true events. Written for Disneybrony and Finnrey Friday! Unbeta'd so forgive any small errors. (Shout out to starwenn for helping me figure out a better summary for this!)

Finn Major was careful not to rush through the doors of the plain, red-bricked storefront even though a hard rain was pelting down and a cold wind was blowing. His right arm was cramping from the awkward way that he was holding it against his body, and he had to shift his weight and readjust in order to get the door open without jostling the bundle that was nestled under his jacket, right in the crook of his elbow. It was only after Finn had wrestled the door open and wedged himself inside that he noticed the button for the automatic opener. He gave himself a mental slap upside the head and breathed a sigh of relief when he managed to get inside the building without any major mishaps.

He found himself in a reception area where the only sound was the clacking of computer keys. There was a TV on, set to some news channel, but it was muted, and there was no one sitting in any of the very comfortable-looking leather chairs in the cool, quiet room.

The tapping suddenly stopped and a cheerful voice said, “Welcome to Alderaan Animal Hospital! Can I help you?”

Finn looked over and saw a young, attractive dark-haired woman sitting behind a large computer screen. She was smiling at him, and he found himself relaxing a little under her friendly expression.

“Yeah, hi, uh the cab driver says this is an emergency pet hospital? I mean, like, that you take walk-ins if there’s an emergency?”

“That’s right.” Her smile shifted into a frown of concern. “Is your pet in difficulty?”

“Well, it’s not _my_ pet, exactly. I don’t think it’s anyone’s pet. Least, I hope not,” muttered Finn as he opened his jacket. He looked down into the small face of the orange-and-white ball of fluff that he’d been shielding against the elements. The kitten had still not moved much, alhough Finn could feel the faint beat of its heart.

The kitten looked up briefly, as if startled by the sudden change from darkness to light. Finn winced at the bloodshot and watery appearance of one of the kitten’s eyes.

Meanwhile, the woman had left her desk and was standing close to Finn, bending toward the ball of fur.

“Oh my god! What happened to his carrier? Were you two in an accident?”

“No, I found him on the street, sort of. I think he’s a stray. I saw he was hurt and it looked serious. He was sort of dragging his back hind leg. The left one. And one of his eyes looks really bad. I figured I’d better take him to a vet right away.”

“Got it. There are some forms for you to fill out, but first, let me get him something a little more comfortable to lie in. I'll be right back.”

Finn watched her leave. So the animal was a he? He hadn’t noticed. He knew nothing about cats. There had been no pets of any kind allowed at the boys' home he’d grown up in. Not even a goldfish.

He looked around the small space, seeing pictures of different animals in different poses hanging around the office. Most the pictures were of dogs and cats, but there were a few horses and, to Finn’s surprise, a sheep or two. The Alderaan metro area was very urban, but he recalled hearing that the outskirts of the city were almost rural. Maybe this vet made housecalls. Or farmcalls. Whichever.

His head snapped down as the young woman re-entered the office carrying a wicker basket with an overstuffed red cushion inside.

“Here we go. Let’s see how he likes this. Careful now … I’ll help.”

Finn slowly brought the fluffy kitten from beneath his jacket while the young woman cupped her hands to support his hind legs. Together, they gently lowered the cat into the small basket and settled him on the pillow. The kitten sniffed curiously at the cushion, pawed weakly at it for a moment, then rested his head on outstretched paws.

“I think he likes it.” She smiled at Finn. “I’ll get you those forms and I’ll get him some treats. You said he was a stray?”

“I’m pretty sure, yeah.”

She looked a little puzzled. “You said a taxi driver told you about this place?”

“Right. I forgot to charge my phone and it died on me before I could google animal hospitals,” said Finn. “I knew this little guy needed help as soon as possible, and once I found a cabbie who didn’t curse me out for not having a carrier, he looked it up on his phone and said this was the closest place.”

“Hmm. Did you tell the driver that this was a stray and not your pet?”

“Uh, yeah, I did. Why?”

“It’s just a little strange he wouldn’t have suggested you go to the animal shelter,” she said. “Not that I’m not glad you came here, but that’s really odd.”

She thought about it for a moment then shook her head. “Anyway, I’ll let the doctor know you’re here. I’m Rey, by the way. Rey Skywalker.”

He smiled briefly at her. She didn’t really look like a ‘Rey’ to him, but somehow, it still seemed to fit.

“Finn Major. I’m not sure he has a name,” he said, gesturing toward the basket. “But I’m sure he appreciates the hospitality.”

She grinned before bustling off again, and Finn swallowed hard. Rey was seriously smoking hot. He wondered how many times a day she got hit on? Hit on by people with sick pets … even dying pets. Maybe the number was zero. Even as attractive as she was, Finn didn’t have any intentions of chatting her up.

Finn thought about the kitten who now seemed to be sleeping in the basket, thought about what had happened that evening. Thought about what _might_ have happened if he’d been a minute or two slower …

He gently petted the kitten’s soft fur and then went to relax in one of the chairs and await Rey’s return. It didn’t take long. Finn had a feeling that everything in that place ran at peak efficiency. Rey had a small saucer in each hand, one of water and the other containing tiny brown and red circles. She put the saucers near the kitten’s head. He lifted his face, sniffed gingerly at one dish, then the other, and to Finn’s great relief, began to eat the treats.

“He’s probably half-starved,” said Rey, the sympathy evident in her voice. “When did you say you found him?”

“Just a few minutes ago. Well, maybe like 20 minutes or a half-hour.”

“He’s not a newborn,” said Rey, as she handed him a clipboard upon which was a sheet of paper asking for all types of information. “He looks to be about 4 to 6 months old, so he’s probably been in your neighborhood a while. Had you seen him around before today?”

“No. There’s not too many cats - at least not that I’ve seen - right around my building,” said Finn as he filled out the form. “It’s sort of a dog-haven, so I guess the cats stay away.”

“But you found him on the street near your building?”

“Not exactly.”

He took a deep breath, not really wanting to re-live the past 45 minutes of his life. But Finn saw the question in Rey’s eyes – which were as gorgeous as the rest of her – and felt unable to resist the pull of the memory.

“I was on my way out. I have – had a date – over in Quarren Quadrangle –”

“Oh, the new seafood place right near the falls? Kanata’s Hideaway?”

“Yep, that’s the one.” Finn smiled ruefully at Rey’s look of approval. “I’d been wanting to try it for awhile.”

“Me, too. They say the view of the falls from there are amazing. You have good taste!”

"Oh, um, thanks. I hadn't heard about it, but it has really good Yelp reviews." He rubbed his chin. “Uh, anyway, I trying to get a cab and just as I spotted one, I saw a group of these kids pass by.”

His lip curled in dislike. “I see them around all the time. They’re troublemakers. They bully people – other little kids, old people, whoever – and they’re always throwing garbage around. Generally, they get run off by someone, but this time, they weren’t sticking around to cause trouble. They were all on their way somewhere.”

Finn took another deep breath. “I … I dunno, had a weird feeling about it. A _bad_ feeling. I looked to see where they were going and they seemed to be headed for this little cul-de-sac around the corner from my building. They’ve been doing work on the drainage pipes on that block. I didn’t think much about it, but when I looked back the crowd, I thought I saw that one of them was holding something that was moving. Somebody had this kind of stick and was poking at whatever it was. Then I knew for sure they had some kind of animal with them, but they were too far away for me to see anything definite.”

“Oh god.” Rey’s voice sounded faint and her eyes were shiny with dread. “What happened then?”

“I’d just waved the cab over, but when I saw the business with the stick, I turned the other way and just started running. They’d already gone around the corner,” said Finn. “But I got there and I saw the crowd of them gathered around a manhole. Two of them were trying to get the cover off, and one of them was holding out that little guy,” He waved at the basket, “while the other two worked on getting the manhole cover off. It was … disgusting. They were seriously going to just toss him down there like it was a fucking joke.”

He was breathing heavily. Finn saw a matching anger and sadness in Rey’s lovely eyes.

“I yelled. I yelled at the top of my lungs,” said Finn. “A few of the kids took off right away, and the kid holding the cat, well, I guess the cat started to freak out because it bit or scratched or something because the kid dropped him and started running. The rest of them just took off. The kitten was trying to run away, but couldn’t because of its back leg. He just limped a little and then stopped moving completely. I wasn’t sure if he was even …”

Finn heard his voice pitch, and he swallowed hard, shoving away the memory of the small kitten lying motionless in the middle of the street, both its eyes closed. There was silence for a short time while he pulled himself together.

“I got to him and saw that he was still … alive.  I could see his leg was twisted pretty bad. His fur was dirty and his eye was messed up, too. I knew that if I just left him there, those kids would come back to finish what they started, but that even if they didn’t, he’d die all alone out there, so I thought about just getting him to a vet to see about his injuries. And here we are.”

Rey shook her head. “It makes me sick to think about the sort of things people will do to a defenseless creature. Thank goodness you noticed, but even more than that, thank goodness you cared enough to see what was going on and to get him help.”

“I’ve never had a pet, but I like animals,” said Finn. “I don’t like seeing anything or anyone get kicked around and abused just because they’re too weak to be able to fight back. And even still, he bit the hell out of one of those cowards. I hope it leaves a scar. A really big one.”

“I hope so, too. Poetic justice.” Rey took the form from him. “I’ll take this into the doctor. It shouldn’t be long. She’s just finishing up with another patient.”

She patted the small kitten, gave Finn another beautiful smile, and then disappeared down a dark hallway. Finn heard the faint sound of a door opening and closing, and then silence. Looking down in the basket, he saw that the treats were gone – he couldn’t tell if the water had been touched – and the kitten looked to be sleeping.

About 15 minutes later, there came the scratching sound of paws on hardwood. A woman emerged from the shadows carrying a small Yorkie with a “cone of shame” around its neck. Rey was right behind her with a stack of papers. Another second passed, and the passageway was suddenly filled by a tall, sturdy-looking man with a long beard and friendly dark eyes.

“Mr. Major? You and your friend can come back now.”

Finn got to his feet and gently picked up the basket as Rey went to her desk to attend to the departing client and its owner. Right before he entered the dark hallway, Finn turned to look at Rey, who had turned in his direction at that same moment. They smiled at each other, and she gave him a thumbs up.

The bearded man, who introduced himself as Snap, held open the door to the examination room, explaining that they usually had separate rooms for dogs and cats, but the “cat room” was closed due to a problem with ventilation, and he hoped that the small kitten wouldn’t be spooked by the scent of dogs. Finn just shrugged. The kitten had been through so much that evening that he probably would not be spooked by much of anything.

Snap looked concerned as he took the kitten’s temperature, examined the twisted leg and the red eye.

“Poor little dude. Scrawny. Probably born outside and left behind by his mum as the runt of the litter.”

Snap weighed the kitten and, after taking a few notes, shook his head. “Managed to survive, though, and this past winter was really fucking cold. So he can’t be that weak. Sometimes mums don’t know everything.”

Finn thought about his parents, neither of whom he’d ever known, and sighed softly. That was probably true.

“Think his leg’s broken,” said Snap. “Sounds a little congested, too, so maybe a cold, especially if he’s been out in all this rain we’ve been having. But that eye … the eye worries me. Doc’ll be able to tell you more. She’ll be in shortly.”

“Shortly” turned out to be about two seconds later. Snap had barely gotten the words out before the door opened and a woman in a white coat carrying a complicated-looking tool entered the room. She was small, but held herself very erect, which made Finn reflectively straighten his shoulders. Her long braid of greying brown hair was coiled around her head in a manner that contrasted with a slightly stern expression, but her eyes were warm.

“Mr. Major? I’m Dr. Organa-Solo. Rey filled me in a little bit on what brings you and your little friend here.” She looked over at Snap. “This young man saved this little fellow from being tossed down a manhole by a bunch of ill-bred brats.”

“Are you serious? What the _fuck_?” One of Snap’s hands closed into a tight fist. “This world is getting more screwed up every damn day. I hope you kicked their asses, my dude. No court in the land would convict you.”

“They got away from me,” admitted Finn. “But don’t worry, I’m good with faces, and they tend to come through my neighborhood every so often. I’ll know them if I see them again, and they won’t get by me this time.”

“Good man.” Snap said, but it was Dr. Organa-Solo’s eyes that suddenly glowed with ferocious delight. Finn supposed it would be not good to get on this woman’s bad side. This feeling was confirmed when Snap jokingly stated that Dr. Organa-Solo was dubbed “The General” by her peers because she did not abide animal abuse or neglect and had been known to bawl out clients who she felt were doing their animals more harm than good by their actions – or inaction, which was often the case. The doctor’s response was only an enigmatic smile and a mild comment that they weren’t _orders_ but _suggestions_.

The next several minutes, she examined the small, silent animal, murmuring things half to the kitten and half to Snap that Finn couldn’t quite catch. The cat shivered, but otherwise made no other movement, when Dr. Organa-Solo gently felt its injured leg, but otherwise made no noises. Even its breathing seemed to be silent. She shone a light in its eyes, and the grooves in her forehead deepened when she studied the kitten’s crimson, weepy eye with an instrument with a bright light attached.

Dr. Organa-Solo wrote something down and handed it to Snap, who gave an affirmative grunt and exited the room rather quickly.

“All right then, young man. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

Finn almost gulped. It was all but impossible to make the choice, but he figured that the night had been shitty enough. He needed to hear _something_ positive.

“Uh … the good news?”

“The good news is, most of his injuries are not very serious. I’ll take some X-Rays, but it’s pretty clear to me that his back left hind leg is broken. You live over in The District. It floods easily over there and we’ve had a lot of rain over the past week. He probably went up a tree to wait it out and became disoriented because of his wonky eye, and then fell out and hurt himself. Either he wasn’t that high up or he managed to have a relatively soft landing, because in a lot of these cases, the pelvis shatters, as well, and that becomes a more serious matter. But his pelvis seems to be fine, and I don’t think the break is a relatively clean one. Aside from a bit of matting on his fur, which is normal for a stray kitten of this age, and a bit of a cold, he’s in pretty good shape. He’s not neutered, so he probably has spent all his life outside.”

She gave him a hard look. “Ready for the bad news?”

Finn took a slow, silent breath. “Ready.”

“His right eye will have to be removed. Eye infections in cats can be very painful, but when caught early, they are extremely treatable. His bad eye, however, is too far gone. He probably developed the infection shortly after he was born. Poor fellow probably can barely see out of that eye and I can’t even imagine how it must hurt him.”

Finn eyed the orange-and-white heap of fur, which was still laying quietly on the examination table. The bad eye glowed redly under the lights and Finn winced at the thought of such a small animal being in pain for as long as he must have been.

“When you have such an extreme case, the other eye usually is pretty bad as well,” said Dr. Organa-Solo, “but his left eye is remarkably healthy. He obviously can get on just fine with one eye. When I was a girl, I had a cat who had to have both eyes removed because of a deformity with his inner eyelids. He was one of the quickest cats I’ve ever known. If the mice in the barn thought they’d gotten lucky, they soon found out how wrong they were.”

“Barn? Do you live on a farm?” asked Finn. “I saw, uh, the pictures of sheep out there in your waiting room.”

“I grew up on a ranch, yes. Lots of animals. More animals than people, really.” Dr. Organa-Solo smiled briefly. “It’s become community property now, though we use it every now and again for family get-togethers. My husband and I live in town. My brother did live there until last year, and he’s taken a flat near the Quadrangle on that little piece of land at the mouth of the falls.”

Finn nodded. He’d heard of it. Ach-To Point, it was called. Very exclusive _and_ expensive.

“Do you plan on adopting this cat?”

Finn was taken aback. He hadn’t even really thought about it. His only focus had been to get the little creature away from its tormentors and to a safe place. Dr.Organa-Solo was studying him closely, though not unkindly. It was, after all, a good question.

“I actually hadn’t thought about it,” said Finn. “I’ve never had a pet. Um, do I need to decide right now?”

“It would be helpful, and I’ll be very honest with you as to why,” she said. “Treatment for this little guy will be very expensive. If you’re not planning on adopting him, I could call the Humane Society and see if they have room for him. They’d do the surgery for free and would try to get him in shape to be adopted.”

Finn looked at the fluffy bundle. He hadn’t considered cost before, but he recalled one of his old neighbors discussing a surgery for her dog that had been extremely pricey.

“Well … I mean, would he be adopted for sure? I’ve heard not-great things about some city kennels,” said Finn. “I’m new to this area, but I know the shelter back where I’m from isn’t going to win any awards any time soon.”

“Municipal shelters do their best. It’s a difficult situation,” said Dr. Organa-Solo. “Lots of animals in need, and not enough space _or_ money. To answer your question, this guy has a 50-50 chance of finding a home. He’s a kitten, which works in his favor, and when he’s fixed up and out of pain, he’ll feel more comfortable letting his personality emerge, but I think he’s a sweet cat. And, as I said, cats can adjust to partial and even total blindness. But the downsides are, most people who go to the shelters for a pet tend to overlook the “imperfect” animals, and that includes older pets. Special-needs animals tend to get looked at last. There is a chance, though, that one of the cat-rescue shelters will find him and pull him and try to adopt him out from there. There are three such shelters in Alderaan, all of them are no-kill, so he'd have a home for the rest of his life, even if he is never adopted. But, of course, _they_ have even less room than the city shelter.”

“What happens if he stays at the city shelter and isn’t adopted?”

Dr. Organa’s eyes softened just slightly and Finn felt his stomach knot as he realized the obvious answer to that question.

“I’m not trying to put pressure on you,” she said. “Owning an animal is an enormous responsibility. There are so many people who think they’re ready but something happens, such as an accident, or their pet gets sick, and they can’t cope. You saved this cute boy from a hideous death. He has every chance in the world to be brought into a loving home. In fact, if you’re willing to go on the record about how you found him, you’ll increase the likelihood of his adoption quite a bit. Do you have Twitter? Or Instagram? We have accounts, if you don’t. I don’t know much about social media –  that’s mainly Rey’s domain –but a story like yours can spread like wildfire.”

Before Finn could answer, the door opened behind him and he had to shift to avoid being tapped by the edge. He turned and was rewarded with a sweet smile from Rey, who had a sheaf of papers in her hands.

“Snap says the results look normal. He’s negative for FIV and rabies,” said Rey. “He wanted to know if he should bring in the ketofen gel and the materials for the splint?”

“I’ll tell him to hold off on all that for the moment. I want to get this sweet boy X-Rayed first.”

Dr. Organa-Solo gently placed the kitten back in the basket and gave Finn a nod.

“I’ll be back shortly. Let me know what you decide.”

The doctor bundled out with the basket, and Rey gave him a questioning look.

“Decide?”

“Oh. Yeah, um, whether I want to adopt him or not,” said Finn. “I’ve never had a pet, and I really wasn’t planning on getting one. I think my building allows them, but … it seriously just wasn’t in my plan, and it might … I dunno … it might not work out.”

Rey gave him a sympathetic smile. “I know how that can be. Does your girlfriend not like cats?”

Finn blinked at her. “My … _girlfriend_?”

“Hey, it’s all right. It happens. Some people don’t realize that they have incompatible views on pets for awhile,” said Rey. “I knew one woman who just figured her boyfriend would love her dog because they never really talked about it. When he asked her to move in with him, though, he specified that the dog couldn’t come. They argued and the guy said it was either him or the dog. She chose the dog. That’s an extreme case but it happens more times than you might think and it’s sad. Maybe if you explain to your girlfriend the circumstances –”

“No, I mean, that’s not it. I don’t _have_ a girlfriend.”

Rey looked at him wonderingly. “Oh. But you mentioned going on a date …”

Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened.

“Oh my god! I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have assumed you meant a woman. I … I apologize …”

“It’s okay. I don’t have a boyfriend either.” Finn said with a half-smile. Rey was extremely cute when she was flustered. Her face was a deep pink, which made the whorl of freckles on her nose and cheeks stand out all the more, and her eyes were huge and almost gold.

“I’m single. I was going out on a date – a _first_ date. Sort of a blind date.”

“Really?” Rey looked interested. “I love blind dates! How did it happen? I mean, how did you find each other?”

“Friend of a friend,” said Finn. “Actually … friend of a friend’s girlfriend. She’s new in town, and my friend’s girlfriend wanted to set her up with someone. It was the usual ‘Hey do you have any single friends?’ deal and my buddy thought of me, and – _fuck_!”

He hadn’t meant to swear so vehemently, or at all, really, and his face blazed under Rey’s startled eyes.

“Sorry about that. It’s just that I just remembered, I haven’t called my date to tell her what’s going on! My phone died even before I got here.”

Finn glanced at his watch and his heart sank. He was 45 minutes late. _Fuck_.

“I was going to ask if I could use the phone here, or if anyone has an iPhone charger, but I completely forgot! Could I …”

“It’s okay, I can call the restaurant,” said Rey. “What is your date’s name?”

For a terrifying moment, Finn’s mind went completely blank. Mary? Mercedes? Maryellen?

“Meredith!” he blurted, feeling relief. “It’s Meredith, ah, Meredith Banzy. I could call her, though. I _should_ call her myself and explain.”

“Do you want to see her again?”

That stopped Finn cold. Slip had gone on and on about how awesome she was and how Rebecca, his girlfriend, said she couldn’t imagine why she didn’t have a boyfriend already. He had been looking forward to meeting her. It had been awhile since his last date.

But looking at Rey now, Finn was honestly at a loss as to how to answer.

“I … suppose? Maybe?”

“Then let _me_ call. Telling her that ‘Mr. Major is at the Alderaan Animal Hospital because of an animal emergency and will call you as soon as he gets an update on his pet’s condition’ might give you a better chance at a second date than if you call her and make her think you’re making it all up, or that you forgot, _or_ that you got a better offer.”

“Oh.” Finn laughed a little. “I guess you’ve got me there.”

“Mm hm.” She winked at him and held out her hand. “Oh, and I have an iPhone. You can use my charger.”

Finn handed his phone over, pretending not to notice or care very much when their fingers brushed together.

“Um, thanks. I really appreciate this. Could you tell Meredith I’ll call her? I really do owe her an apology.”

“And a raincheck?”

“Uh … maybe.”

Finn noted the pleased gleam in Rey’s eyes. She seemed happy that he was uncertain that he wanted to ask Meredith out again. Was Rey attracted to him, possibly? Was he reading into things?

Rey reached for the door, nearly colliding with Dr. Organa-Solo, who was coming back in with the basket. The small kitten was blinking sleepily, gave a great yaw,n and then settled down again.

“Sorry about that. I have to make a call for Mr. Major –”

“Finn.”

Rey gave him another beaming smile over her shoulder.

“Finn. He doesn’t want his date to think he stood her up on purpose.”

Dr. Organa-Solo glanced at Finn. “Date? It really _has_ been quite a night for you.”

“Uh, yeah. Blind date,” said Finn. “Friend of a friend … sorta.”

“A blind date, hm? That’s a bit old-fashioned, isn’t it?” Dr. Organa-Solo’s voice was teasing. “Aren’t you kids swiping left and right to find love these days?”

“Not all of us, Aunt Leia,” said Rey with a short laugh. “I think the old ways are coming back in style, actually.”

Finn’s eyes shifted from the older woman to the younger one, and back again. _Aunt_ Leia?

“Besides, blind dates are cool,” said Rey. “You met Uncle Han on a blind date…”

“It wasn’t exactly a date,” said Dr. Organa-Solo with an amused grimace. “And there was nothing _blind_ about it. From the first minute I met Han, I went into things with my eyes _very_ wide open.”

Rey laughed again and disappeared from the room. Dr. Organa shook her head and gently placed the basket on the examining table.

“So much like her father, that one.” There was a smile in the woman’s voice. “But she inherited her mother’s good sense, thank goodness.”

“So Rey’s your niece? Is this, uh, a family business?”

“Not exactly. Though it may seem like one, at times. I’ve known Snap since he was a boy, and several other members of the staff are long-time friends of my family. But Rey is my only blood relative working here since my son, who was the receptionist for some time, moved to London to attend graduate school, met a nice Irish boy and decided to stay.”

Finn nodded. Now he knew why Rey had seemed so mortified about the “girlfriend” business.

“That’s cool. I think it’s nice to work with family, if you can.” Finn’s voice was wistful. “Everyone here is friendly. Rey is … really nice.”

“She’s a wonderful young woman. Finished her studies at Alderaan State last year. Mechanical and civil engineering and romance languages. Triple major. Top of her class.”

“Wow.” He could hear the pride in Dr. Organa-Solo’s words. “Does she want to go to veterinary school someday, or …?”

“I doubt it. She’s wonderful with animals, but I don’t think this is what she wants.” Dr. Organa-Solo looked thoughtful. “When Ben moved to London, Rey was just going to fill in until we could hire another full-time receptionist. She decided to take a sort of post-graduate gap year to work and figure out where her path lay. Whether here in Alderaan, or somewhere else.”

Finn nodded as he thought about the long road he’d taken to get to Alderaan after a pretty fucking traumatic upbringing in Timira City.

“I know what that’s like. Alderaan is a great place, though. I’m happy I moved here.”

“It has its advantages. I’m happy to see more young people like yourself coming in to give the place a jolt of new blood.” Dr. Organa-Solo gave him a sly grin. “Maybe you can tell my niece where some of the hot spots are. Her father, uncle and myself are always after her to get out and be with people her age - maybe even meet a nice person for a date or two, blind or otherwise.”

“Uh …” Finn lowered his head, an embarrassed chuckle breaking a short silence. “I actually work a lot, too. There are some places but, uh … it’s hard for me to believe that she has any trouble finding someone who’d be interested in taking her out.”

“You’d be surprised. But you’d have to ask her about that yourself – _if_ you’re interested.”

There was a knowing gleam in her eyes – eyes, Finn thought, that did seem remarkably like Rey’s. And by her tone, he surmised that Dr. Organa-Solo had guessed that he was, indeed … _interested_.

His cheeks warmed. “I … right. Gotcha.”

She nodded and then straightened her expression to the businesslike demeanor she’d worn only seconds before.

“Now, I have some good news and better news. No bad news this time. You get to pick again which you want to hear first.”

“Uh … let’s start with the good news again.”

“Good choice! The good news is, the X-Rays show the leg is, as I thought, a clean break. We should be able to splint him and the bone will heal up good as new.”

“That’s awesome!” A flood of relief washed over Finn. “And what’s the better news?”

“I spoke to someone over at the Calrissian Cat Rescue,” she said. “That’s one of the top no-kill shelters in the entire region. I explained the situation. They will pay for his treatment here and make room for him there if you agree to sit down and let them videotape your story. They want to put it on their YouTube channel as a PSA about animal abuse and also the importance of spaying and neutering your pets.”

Finn looked at the basket. The kitten was looking up at him, blinking his good eye intermittently.

“And they’ll try to find him a permanent home? A good one? Where he’ll be safe? And … happy?”

“They think that the applications will pour in once people hear what happened. If he’s at the shelter for more than a day or two after he leaves here, I’d be very surprised.”

Finn breathed deeply. It was a good deal, and he knew it. Worst case, very worst case, was that the cute one-eyed kitten would grow into a cute one-eyed cat and live out the rest of his life in confined comfort. And the best case, of course, was that he’d get a great home with a wonderful family that would spoil and pamper him.

It was a great deal and Finn thought that all things considered, it would solve his problem and the kitten’s quite satisfactorily. But before he could open his mouth to reply, someone got in ahead of him.

The kitten, which had been silent since Finn had rescued it, opened its mouth and emitted a small meow.

Both Finn and Dr. Organa-Solo looked at it in surprise. The sound couldn’t properly be called a meow, really. It was almost like a squeak, or a beep. Yes, Finn thought, it was like the kitten was _beeping_ somehow.

The kitten made the noise again, twice in succession. Dr. Organa-Solo looked pleased.

“He must be feeling a bit better. We gave him a mild painkiller and I want to start him on an IV of antibiotics. Rey said he demolished a plate of treats, so I don’t think we’ll need to do a feeding tube at this stage, just some warmed up wet food, should do.”

But Finn was hardly listening to the doctor. The kitten was looking at him, winking his undamaged eye. Finn thought he could discern fear and dejection in the kitten’s eye. He thought about what it was like for him to be abandoned, ignored, left to fend for himself, friendless. Only by luck and a good bit of hard work had he been able to escape the doldrums of Timira City. And now, it was if the kitten was telling him: _Hey, you brought me this far. Don’t just dump me on someone else. Give me a chance. That’s all I need. A chance._

“No,” said Finn quietly.

Dr. Organa-Solo turned toward him.

“No? No wet food?”

“Uh, no. I mean, the wet food sounds fine, but … no to the offer.” He met her eyes. “It’s generous and I’ll still do the video if they want, but I’ll take him home. I’ll adopt him.”

She gave him a long, searching stare. “Are you sure?”

Finn thought about the money he’d been saving up for maybe a small car so he didn’t have to deal with the bus during the cold Alderaan winters. But  he could deal with it. This was more important.

“I’m sure. I can pay for it. You get him better, and he’ll have a home.” He looked at the kitten again, watching him slowly blink his eyes in his direction. “I think … maybe he belongs with me.”

“All right,” she said softly. “I’ll call the people at Calrissian back and tell them, and I’ll get you some paperwork to fill out. He’ll be here about a week: Two days to shake his cold, then we’ll do the eye surgery. You should be able to take him home Thursday. Friday at the latest. We’ll sort out your bill when treatment’s complete.”

“That’s fine. I can pay,” said Finn. “Whatever he needs, I can cover it.”

There was a soft knock and then the door creaked open. Rey came in, looking somewhat chagrined.

“Finn, I’m sorry. I got the restaurant, but the hostess said your date left after waiting for about 20 minutes. Apparently, she wasn’t very happy.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. I’ll give her a call when I get home. Thanks, though, for trying.”

“Maybe it’s just as well,” said Dr. Organa-Solo in a mild voice. “ She might not have been a cat person.” To Rey, she said, “Finn is going to adopt this sweet boy.”

“That’s fantastic!” Rey beamed at him. “Do you have a name for him yet?”

“Not really,” said Finn. “Though he makes this weird little sound. It’s like a computer beep. Maybe I’ll call him Beeper. Huh, nah, that’s a little too ‘90s sounding. I guess I’ll figure it out. There’s something else I need to do first, I think. Maybe you could help me?”

Rey looked puzzled, but intrigued. “Sure, if I can. What is it?”

“I’ve never had a cat,” said Finn. “Do you have, like, a list for new cat owners or something? Supplies we need? The best food? Toys? Best litter brands?”

“Sure. I could put something like that together,” said Rey. “There’s a pet shop over on Kashyyyk Avenue that’s pretty reasonable, and has a really nice selection particularly for kittens. Food, cat beds, water bowls, litter boxes … They’re open late if you wanted to go over there tonight. You wouldn’t have to buy everything now, but you could price a few things.”

“Wow. That’s a lot to remember. And there's probably a lot of different brands, too?”

"Yes, but I could write a few things down, if you wanted. The people working there know their stuff, but they _are_ trying to sell you things, and there's some stuff you don't have to pay top dollar for."

Finn took a deep breath. He glanced at Dr. Organa-Solo who gave him raised brows in return and a head waggle that was part encouraging and part  _get on with it already!_

“Um, there’s a really cool pizza place on the Avenue … any way I could convince you to come and help me shop in exchange for dinner?”

Rey’s eyes went wide. For a moment, she appeared not to know what to say – or if to say anything at all.

“Oh! Well, I mean … that would be nice. But I still have to –”

“No you don’t.” That was Dr. Organa-Solo, her arms crossed. “Go.”

“But the invoices …”

“Rey, we’ll be fine. Go out. Have some pizza with this very handsome young man. Enjoy yourselves.”

Rey and Finn looked at each other, both slightly embarrassed and both unable to suppress smiles.

“I don’t want to impose …” Finn started to say.

“You’re not imposing. We’re actually wrapping up for the evening, at this point,” said Dr. Organa-Solo. “I’m going to get some antibiotics into this little peanut, and then Snap and I will get the splint on him and give him some dinner. Snap is on night shift until 10, and then Poe takes over, so there'll be someone around to keep an eye on this one overnight. And I’ll do invoices when I get home. It’s fine. The two of you get some food. Talk. Get to know each other.”

The last sounded like an order, and Finn reflected that “The General” was an apt nickname.

“Well.” Rey cast a swift glance at Finn and blushed crimson. “If you’re _sure_ , thank you, Aunt Leia.”

Finn moved close and gently stroked his finger over the kitten’s white-and-orange head.

 “Have a good night, okay? I’ll visit every day. Hopefully by the time you’re ready to leave, I’ll have figured out a name for you.”

The kitten gazed up at him and uttered two beeps in succession. After a second, he did it again. Finn smiled and scratched his neck.

“He really does beep!” Rey sounded delighted. “You should call him Beep-Beep. Oh, wait, isn’t that what the Road-Runner from the cartoons would say?”

“You know, I never really could tell,” said Finn as he and Rey walked out of the room. “I was too busy trying to figure out why the coyote always did such stupid stuff trying to catch him …”

Dr. Organa-Solo grinned as the voices faded away. She looked at the small cat and rubbed its chin.

“Beep-Beep, hm? I think a much better name for you would be Cupid, little man,” she said, her grin shifting into a wistful smile as she heard the front door open and then slowly swing shut.


End file.
